Society

2 men arrested for abandoning womanâ€™s body wrapped in tarp

Jun 13 (Japan Today) - Police in Muko, Kyoto Prefecture, said Wednesday they have arrested two men on suspicion of abandoning the body of a woman, wrapped from head to toe in a tarp bound by white adhesive tape, in the parking lot of an apartment building.

Police said the two men are Takahiko Hashimoto, 55, an unemployed resident of the apartment building, and Wataru Yoneda, 29, who works for the Community Welfare and Services Division in Muko City, Fuji TV reported. Hashimoto lived in an apartment on the first floor and Yoneda rented an apartment on the second floor.

According to police reports, Hashimoto has been receiving welfare benefits and Yoneda was the caseworker in charge of determining his eligibility. The as-yet unidentified body, which had decayed, is believed to be that of an adult woman in her 40s who lived with Hashimoto. Police said she appeared to have been dead for at least a month.

A neighbor called 110 at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday and said there was a foul smell coming from Yoneda's apartment.

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